


Chase Away

by gunslingaaahhh



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, coda fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-22
Updated: 2011-11-22
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/282246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gunslingaaahhh/pseuds/gunslingaaahhh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yet another coda for 2x10.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Chase Away

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another coda for 2x10.

His whole body hurts, his entire _everything_ is screaming at him, and he swears, if they pistol whip him _one more time--_

Steve is in transit; he can feel it, has no idea which direction they're going in or why Wo Fat thinks he knows what Shelburne is. He has no idea, just like Wo Fat has no idea. He wants to laugh, smile again because in some sick way, it is a little funny.

Smiling hurts his face.

Laughing hurts his ribs.

The convoy stops and the guard with him is suddenly gone; there is gunfire, and Steve groans. He is so not in the mood for this, not in the mood for anything that isn't a screaming hot bath and a gallon of antiseptic.

And maybe some Advil, he could totally go for some Advil.

The canvas flap at the end of the truck wiggles, and Steve shuts his eyes against what can only be impending doom, when he hears what sounds a suspicious lot like Danny.

Cracking his eyes open, he stares with disbelief at Danny, who is scrambling into the truck, crouching over him.

“Where's Wo Fat?” he rasps, raising his wrists up so Danny can undo his bonds.

“Just shut up, wouldja?” Danny grumbles in reply, freeing Steve's wrists. Chin appears then, and Joe, and all Steve can do is gawk at them. There are others, he can see them in the background; some he recognizes, some he doesn't.

Danny and Chin half guide, half carry him to a chopper, one that is probably older than he is. Lori is there, and the look of relief on her face tells Steve as much as he needed to know about how bad things had been.

He isn't prepared when she throws her arms around him, instinctively flinches and curves his body away, in an effort to protect his bruised and battered flesh. He can feel the instant when she realizes she shouldn't be holding him so tight and she quickly hops out of the way, making room for the guys to climb back into the chopper.

Smiling still hurts his face, but he can't help _but_ to smile at Chin's announcement, ill-timed though it may seem. Steve can appreciate the timing, though; it says “I'm glad you're alive, because you can actually be my best man.” It's touching, and a feeling of love swells in his chest for his team.

They land and Kono is there to greet them, face cracking open into a smile when she sees him. She seems to know better, makes to hug him but stops, slinging an arm around his shoulders instead and leaving a dry kiss on his cheek. It feels incredible to be looking at them, his whole team.

He shares a look with Danny, and knows that at least he, Chin, and Joe know that Jenna is dead.

That hurts, too, because while she may have deserved a lot of things, death certainly wasn't one of them, and not in the manner that it happened. Part of him wants to retrieve her body, give her a proper burial, but he knows it isn't going to happen, not by his hand, and not now.

He doesn't think he has much of a choice or say in what happens to him in the next twenty-four hours anyway, considering the looks his team is giving him. No, if he knows them as well as he thinks he does, they'll make their way back to Oahu, and Danny will stick to him like glue the whole way to the emergency room, will probably handcuff him to the bed to make sure he doesn't try to leave AMA.

The thought makes him smile even as he's drifting off in the back of the truck.

~*~

“Alrighty, lessee it,” Danny calls from the hallway, making his way into Steve's bedroom. Steve rolls his eyes and goes about carefully removing his shirt.

He'd remained at the hospital for the recommended time; his body ached so badly by the time they arrived he could barely stand, Danny and Chin and Joe had to practically carry him inside the building. He wasn't stupid, he knew his body's limits and while this wasn't the extent, he knew when it was time to back down.

“It's pretty fucking ugly,” he commented, turning so Danny could see the full extent of the damage. The other man's eyes widened almost comically, the white visible all the way around the blue.

It seemed Danny's concern hadn't been for naught. He approached slowly, eyes narrowing as he circled Steve, examining him. He worried at his bottom lip, hands balled into fists at his sides.

Steve's midsection was a disaster. Wo Fat hadn't given him the worst beating he'd ever had, but it was up there. He knew just how and where to hit to cause the most pain... and then there'd been the whole cattle-prod thing.

Bruising bloomed yellowish green all the way to almost black, wrapping more or less the entire way around Steve's middle. There were streaks of red and purple at his hip bones and sternum, puffs of greenish over his kidneys. The burns from the cattle-prod were an angry, shiny red, the blisters long since drained away to reveal the pinkish, tender skin beneath.

He watched Danny's eyes drift up to his face, the other man's mouth pulled down into a tight frown. Steve knew his face wasn't any better than the rest of him; he'd swallowed so much blood it was a miracle he wasn't sick with it. His bottom lip was swollen and painful, splitting anew anytime he tried to talk or laugh or eat; his jaw ached, lined with bruising, his cheekbones sore and puffy. One of his eyes was almost swollen shut.

It seemed that once his body had registered it was no longer under siege, it decided it was ok for the injuries to come to the surface, and so they had with a vengeance.

“You're a hot fucking mess,” Danny concluded, sighing. “D'you need anything? Pain meds, the electric blanket? Ice?”

“No, Nurse Ratchet, I'm fine for now,” Steve chuckled, sitting on the bed and rolling his shoulders; they ached something fierce, having almost been wrenched from their sockets.

Danny's face was stony, and Steve paused to stare at him. It seemed his partner was taking this personally. “I'm fine, Danno, really,” he said, soft.

“Fine, he says, like he doesn't look like he was used as a personal punching bag. Y'know, if you hadn't already had the shit kicked out of you, I'd beat your ass myself. This was supposed to be an in and out job, right? Doing a favor for a _friend?_ Well don't worry, I saw what happened to her. It's sad, because she was a good person – or I thought she was – but she did you wrong, Steve. She did us _all_ wrong.”

Danny was pacing now, hair lifting higher and higher off his head the angrier he got. Steve just watched, body sagging slightly now that he was at rest again.

“It isn't like I knew, man, c'mon. You didn't see the look on her face when she asked me... every ounce of everything she had was _right there_ , how could I say no to that?” he asked, re-situating himself so he was leaning against the headboard.

“She took advantage! She knew you wouldn't be able to say no to her, because she was ohana, one of us. Look where that got her!”

“It isn't worth dwelling on now, alright? I watched her die, Danny. I watched her be murdered like she was nothing at all, and I don't care what she did to me, no one deserves that.”

Danny paused, eyes wide. “No, maybe not, but it doesn't change the fact that she lied to us for months, ok, months. You need to understand something, ok. She called me from a sat phone, told us where you guys were, and she knew she'd screwed up, she was aware. My heart was in my _throat_ , Steven, do you hear me?”

Perched on the side of the bed, Danny was inches from Steve's face, eyes blazing blue fire. He nodded, unable to form words, unsure of what to say.

“I was beside myself, because as soon as she said 'I screwed up, Danny,' I knew. I knew it was just a matter of time. God, I hope I never get another phone call like that in my life, from anyone. Least of all about you.”

“It isn't like I haven't done that sort of thing before--” Steve started. Danny jumped up from the bed, wringing his hands.

“It doesn't _matter_ if you have or not! _This_ time you walked into a trap, alone. _This_ time Wo Fat almost beat you to death, and _this_ time you almost died. I couldn't bear that, Steven, ok? I couldn't handle that.” Danny has stopped, his body slumping. He's deflated, and his own exhaustion is showing. He hadn't been back to the house except to get Steve a clean change of clothes, and it showed.

“Danno,” Steve said softly, sitting up a little more and wincing. His ribs weren't entirely cracked, but he was still extremely sore. “I'm right here, ok? You came and got me, and you know what? I don't think I could've executed a rescue mission better myself. Now do me – and you – a favor, and take a shower. Take a shower and put some clean clothes on, and then _go to bed_. I know you want to mother-hen me into the next millennium, but I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. Dote on me in the morning.”

Blinking at him for a minute, Danny smiled ever so slightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He nodded to himself, leaving the room. Steve sighed as heavily as he could manage, choosing to ignore the butterflies in his belly for the time being.

~*~

Even with the special headphones, Danny couldn't sleep. Yeah, he was tired, but he was still concerned about the man upstairs. He hadn't heard a peep out of him, not even to get up and take a leak. His fatherly instincts wouldn't let him rest until he'd checked in, so Danny roused himself from the couch and padded upstairs, being as quiet as he could.

The light from Steve's en suite was on, illuminating the dark room. Frowning, Danny listened but didn't hear anything. Confused, he made to approach the bed when he heard a pained groan from the bathroom. Rushing in, he found Steve sitting with his back against the tub, knees tugged to his chest, arms wrapped around his ribs. He'd barely managed to get himself into appropriate sleep attire, loose-fitting pajama pants pulled low on one hip.

“What're you doing down there, babe?” Danny asked, sitting on the edge of the tub and putting a hand on Steve's shoulder.

“Needed to pee, got dizzy when I tried to leave, had to sit down,” Steve told him, voice muzzy. “Couldn't get back up, and everything hurts.”

Danny rubbed at his face; typical Steve, not taking the pain medication. “Alright, I'll help you back over to the bed, but you have to promise you'll take the nice drugs the doc gave you.”

Steve shook his head slowly. “No, the drugs are what made me dizzy.” He turned his head to peer up at Danny, big eyes surrounded by bruises. “It made me throw up.”

Danny was pretty sure that if Steve's face wasn't a wasteland, he'd be blushing.

Standing and rooting through the medicine cabinet for the drugs, Danny read the label and rolled his eyes. “'Take with food',” he read aloud, “'to avoid dizziness and stomach upset.' You do realize they put those warnings on there for a reason, right?”

Steve didn't have an answer for that, just stared up at Danny looking as miserable a human being as humanly possible. He didn't have the heart to be cruel, not after the day they'd both had. Crouching, Danny manhandled Steve until he was in a position to stand and lead him back out into the bedroom.

“I'm going to get you something to eat. Please, do not move or attempt anything else while I'm gone.”

Once Steve was deposited onto the mattress, Danny went down to the kitchen and surveyed the fridge. He figured Steve wouldn't be of a mind to have to really chew anything, considering his jaw and his lip, and that posed a problem because the fridge was mostly full of hard fruit and raw vegetables.

Rubbing at his chin, Danny snapped his fingers upon noticing a half loaf of fluffy white bread. He'd bought it a few days before, as Grace was on a grilled cheese kick and only liked it with white bread. Grilled cheese would take too long, so Danny made a peanut butter and jelly instead, pouring Steve glass of milk with a straw (pink; Grace again) and taking the whole lot upstairs.

Steve hadn't moved, was just curled up miserably in the middle of the bed, examining the bruising on his wrists. He looked up when Danny entered the room, his stomach grumbling in appreciation.

“Something tells me you need this more than you wanna tell me,” Danny sighed, setting the plate and milk in the side table. Steve tucks in almost instantly, inhaling half the sandwich before Danny has a chance to get the medication from the bathroom.

“Thanks Danno,” Steve mumbled around the food in his mouth. He drank his milk, frowning at the pills Danny handed him but taking them anyway.

Sandwich finished, Steve sat sipping his milk and watching Danny putter around the room. The other man paused before heading back into the bathroom and reappearing with a few sheets of tissue. Opening his mouth to ask what it was for, Steve was silenced when Danny began dabbing at his lower lip. It had split open again.

He didn't say anything, just watched Danny's eyes while the other man cleaned the small trickle of blood of his face. Danny wasn't meeting his gaze, looking everywhere else instead, and Steve reached out to still his hands.

“Danny...” he started, forcing the other man to look at him. “Are you ok?”

“Am I ok? Shouldn't I be asking you that?” Danny grinned, though it looked more like a grimace.

Frowning, Steve nodded to himself once before grasping Danny's shoulders and tugging him forward. Danny balked, sliding to the side instead, so his weight wasn't resting on Steve's front. They sat pressed together, one of Steve's long arms wrapped tightly around Danny's shoulders.

“It's ok, Danno. Just... it's alright.”

Danny tensed before his body shuddered and sagged. Steve could hear him start to snuffle, and sighed with relief when the other man tucked his head against Steve's shoulder and began to weep. Steve angled his body gently so that he could pull Danny closer to his chest, wrapping both arms solidly around him, holding tight. Danny tried to squirm away, making sounds of protest, but Steve just held on, rocking slightly. Knowing he was stuck where he was, Danny just burrowed closer and his keening turned to sobbing as his body finally gave itself a chance to let go.

“You're ok, I'm right here,” Steve muttered rubbing circles into Danny's back. “Everything's alright now.”

“I almost lost you,” came the muffled voice, hot against Steve's bare skin.

“But you didn't.”

“I can't help but think--”

“I know, and I'm sorry. You have every right to be upset with me, and I promise, after we've both rested, you can really lay into me the way I know you want to.”

An adjustment of limbs, and Danny was wiping at his nose. “I don't want to yell at you, babe. I want to lock you up in this house and never let you out again.”

Steve leaned back, eyebrows raised in surprise. “What? Why?”

“So you won't get hurt again.”

Sighing, Steve pushed and pulled them both until they were more horizontal. “I'm an accident waiting to happen, remember? And it isn't your job to protect me. I know you can't help it, you want to keep me safe like you keep Gracie safe, but you can't. Not with this job, you know what.”

“I was terrified, Steven. I'm _still_ terrified because Wo Fat is MIA.”

“We'll deal with that when the time comes,” Steve grunted, gingerly rolling onto his back. “For now, lets just agree to sleep and try not to think about it.”

“... I should head back downstairs then.”

Steve gave Danny a look, as if to say 'what are you, crazy?' before turning the bedside light off. “I don't want you to go back downstairs, and you don't want you to go back downstairs, either.”

“You want me to stay in here with you?” Danny asked, shocked.

Rather than respond, Steve rolled himself into Danny, who was still sort of sitting up. He nuzzled against the warm cotton covering the other man's middle and sighed, looping an arm around Danny's waist.

The feeling Danny had? Steve had had, though he wasn't as good at expressing it. He would have preferred if Danny hadn't left him alone upstairs to begin with, because as soon as he had, he'd seen Jenna, and Wo Fat, and the men who beat him.

None of them were there, not physically, anyway.

Steve needed Danny to chase away his ghosts, just as Danny needed Steve to chase away his.

-FIN-


End file.
